Louisiana couple fined for touching monk seal

[DeniseM]

"We didn't see no signs."

Louisiana couple regrets touching monk seal in Hawaii after video goes viral on social media | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

A Louisiana couple has apologized and will pay a fine after a TikTok video shows a woman touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal at a beach in Hawaii.

www.staradvertiser.com

 

[Lv2Trvl]

It's always amazing!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[CalGalTraveler]

 

[dioxide45]

Had they not been seeking the attention of others, there would likely have been no fine. Social media did them in...

 

[DeniseM]

IMNSHO - They did themselves in by doing a stupid thing with a wild animal and then bragging about it. YMMV

 

[geist1223]

They should have been fined more and thrown out of Hawaii.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I generally avoid touching wild animals, regardless of my knowledge of the legal status.. particularly ones that are large like that seal.. But definitely the social media post that got them in trouble...

 

[artringwald]

Once I almost stepped on a monk seal because it looked like a piece of driftwood. I guess it wasn't there long enough for the Kauai Hyatt people to put up the do not disturb tape. When my dear SIL saw the tape around a monk seal, she asked how the seals knew to go in the middle of the tape.

 

[dioxide45]

They should have been fined more and thrown out of Hawaii.

At least from the article posted, we don't even know how much their fine was and quite possible that they had already left Hawaii.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

We were at Poipu Beach when there was a monk seal beached, with an area around it taped off. My family went swimming, and I sat down outside the tape to watch the seal. I must have looked like I was guarding the seal and knew something about them because all these people came up to ask questions. Several people asked, where is the seal? Which was odd because it was only 10-25 away. I guess the people thought it was a large rock. The best question though was, shouldn’t we push it back in the water? I explained it was a mammal and breathed air. I can just see a large group of tourist trying to push that big guy back in the water.

 

[dioxide45]

We were at Poipu Beach when there was a monk seal beached, with an area around it taped off. My family went swimming, and I sat down outside the tape to watch the seal. I must have looked like I was guarding the seal and knew something about them because all these people came up to ask questions. Several people asked, where is the seal? Which was odd because it was only 10-25 away. I guess the people thought it was a large rock. The best question though was, shouldn’t we push it back in the water? I explained it was a mammal and breathed air. I can just see a large group of tourist trying to push that big guy back in the water.

Whales are mammals too, but often require human intervention to get them back in when they are beached. I could see where one may think the same for the monk seal.

 

[DeniseM]

UPDATE:

Gov. David Ige warns visitors who touch Hawaiian monk seals ‘will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

In the wake of two separate videos shared across social media that show two visitors touching endangered Hawaiian monk seals, Gov. David Ige warned tourists that anyone who touches or disturbs the seals “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

www.staradvertiser.com

 

[CalGalTraveler]

They should have been fined more and thrown out of Hawaii.

Probably no Spirit Airline flights to return home until next week...LoL